You Make Me Feel So Young
by the electric phantom
Summary: When the Skeleckian Embassy has a New Year's Eve party and invite Jessica, Keith, Hector, Lisa, Danny, and Annie, something interesting is bound to happen.


_The Skeleckian Embassy is delighted to invite you to our celebration of your new year December 31_ _st_ _starting at eight o'clock. This is a formal event, so please dress appropriately._

The note had come the last day of exams. At the time, he'd been excited to go to a Skeleckian party. But now, as he stood in his suit, Danny Rebus had never wanted to go anywhere less. It wasn't that he looked bad in his plum colored suit. Or the fact that at least Jessica and Keith, if not the rest of The Electric Company, would be there. No, the thing that made his stomach turn was the fact that he had to prepare for a New Year's kiss.

The Skeleckians were generally very accepting of people and their customs, which was why this type of a gathering was possible. However, they lacked a certain understanding of individuality that made them paint with broader strokes than any others that he had met. So, knowing that they had already discovered the tradition of mistletoe (explaining to Lottie why he did not want to kiss Francine under it had taken up a good chunk of an afternoon), the idea of the kiss at midnight was sure to come up. And he did not want to explain to everyone that he wanted his first kiss to be more romantic than that. It would be too embarrassing.

Hector, as he entered the embassy, tried to focus on how nice Lisa looked in her flowing green dress and how difficult it must have been for her to pin it up as she had, but his eyes kept darting over to his little sister. In traditional Skeleckian fashion, she was wearing purple, the color of winter, as well as pearls for luck. Yet she didn't look so innocent to him, especially with Keith as her date.

"Hector, it's a formality," she had explained to him weeks ago, "I'm expected to do this. You don't think I find it awkward?"

If she did, it was impossible to tell as she greeted members of both races with a smile, all while arm in arm with Keith.

"They're not little kids, you know," Lisa teased, "Even if this is a date, Keith is the least likely guy to hurt Jess, after you, of course." He sighed.

"How do you always read my mind?" he asked. Lisa giggled.

"Well, the cracker you demolished is always a good sign."

On the other side of the room, Annie was sitting with a very eccentric Skeleckian trader named Thomas. He was going on about the different imports and exports going on in the galaxy, but all she heard was noise. She glanced around the room, searching for some means of escape. Hector and Lisa were out on the dance floor, so she couldn't interrupt them. Jessica was deep in conversation with some official looking people who were also probably involved in the interplanetary politics she tried to ignore. Keith was, surprisingly not with his girlfriend, but at a table talking to someone she couldn't see in a plum suit. She stood up and began to walk across the room, ignoring everyone as she did so. Keith, she noticed, had Jessica's purse, which mostly contained Advil and things to hide the fact that Jessica almost always needed Advil.

"Keith, do you think there's something for a headache in there?" she asked as she got to him. Skeleckian music was just not her style, especially when the Earth arrangement was primarily soprano clarinet.

"Gee, good to-"

Danny stopped mid-sarcastic comment. He couldn't finish because he couldn't believe his eyes. It was Annie, in a red dress with white lace, her hair done up like Marylin Monroe. She was, in his opinion, a very pretty girl. But this night, she seemed more gorgeous than an angel. She smiled a little, looking down.

"Hi, Danny," she muttered.

He was still speechless. Keith glanced between the two of them.

"Uh, something for the headache, Annie?" he offered. She shook her head; it was gone now.

"Okay. Well, uh, like I was saying, Danny. Marcus' bedtime is ten, so he couldn't come. If he doesn't get enough sleep he…"

It struck him that absolutely no one cared about Marcus' bedtime.

"I'm going to leave now."

As Keith got up, the band began to play an Earth song. Not just any, but a song by Danny's favorite singer: Frank Sinatra.

"Well, are you gonna ask me to dance?" she asked. He stared at her.

"What did you say, Annie?"

"Danny, just dance with me!"

He got up and they walked towards the center of the floor, where they began to dance.

"One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four," he counted out loud as he led her.

"You're such an old man," she teased, "Are you even listening to the song?"

"Of course I am!"

"You make me feel so young," she began to sing, "You make me feel so springly sprung."

Keith was on his way to the punch bowl when he saw Jessica alone for the first time that night. A worried look was on her face, as if she was struggling to remember something. He walked up to her.

"I think I know what you've forgotten," he said.

"I haven't forgotten anything. I've talked to everyone important and I made my speech and-"

"You've forgotten to have fun, you goose." He extended his hand to her with a smile.

"Let me remind you."

Hector and Lisa had been on the dance floor for quite some time, stopping just as Jessica and Keith began. Hector watched as Keith spun his sister, both of them laughing as it happened. Lisa smiled up at him.

"I still see them as the first graders who thought Jar Jar Binks was funny too," Lisa admitted. Hector laughed at this as someone began the countdown.

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Couples all around the room kissed as the few single people shouted "Happy New Year!"

Hector and Lisa, who had secretly done this before, melted into each other in a moment of blissful harmony.

Jessica and Keith, with all the passion of years and years of pent-up emotion, kissed as if their souls were handcuffed to each other through the lips and they had no desire to find the key.

Danny and Annie, in the center of the dance floor, found a moment greater than any of the ones they'd found in their books or paintings or scripts in their very first kiss.

"Happy New Year, Danny," she whispered in his ear when they broke apart. Danny grinned, the nervousness from earlier turning into excited butterflies for the year to come.


End file.
